A child.Theirchild. His child.
He was to be a father, and he knew what that meant: be the opposite his father in every way. But he didn’t know what that meant in terms of being aking—his most important role. Hisonlyrole.
Except Ines had upended all of that. Pregnant. Growing a child. So many dangers in that simple, age-old cycle.
But she’d said she was well. The baby was well. And Ines was not like his mother. She had no reasons to hide the truth of her health from him like his mother had hidden the truth from his father. Leading directly to her death during labor.
Sometimes Alexandre thought of that and wondered if she’d signed her own death sentence on purpose. Just to escape. Just to leave it all tohim.
And since he was thinking aboutthatawful time, and apparently blaming his poor victimized mother for anything, he kept his afternoon appointments, conferred with his assistant over a few requests and approved various action items. He skipped lunch and got out of his head, out of his pastandhis future, and into the present.
Until it was time for dinner. Something he might have skipped too, but he was not a coward. Ines was back, and everything would go back to the way it was. If it did, he would know how to handle this new role she’d thrust upon him.
Which meant he would nothide.
If he could get through to Ines to stop kissing him and such, everything would befine.
Besides, he’d stopped that, hadn’t he? Perhaps it had been difficult to set her away instead of sink into her, hold on tight and assure himself she was real and back andhereand that meant all was well.
Allwouldbe well. Without kissing. Without any changes. They would go back to the way things had been. She’d had her time to run away, and she’d gotten the child she’d wanted. There was no reason for anything to change. She would be a mother. He would be a king. Easy.
So why did his heart beat in odd, anxious flutters in his chest as he walked to the dining room this evening?
Ines sat at the table—not in her usual seat, but everything else about the scene was usual. Her hair was sleekly pulled back instead of haphazard. She wore a dress more befitting her station. She did not wear the earrings he’d given her as a wedding present, or the necklace she usually wore on casual days without appointments, but she was wearing his ring.
Because everything was back the way it should be, or so he kept assuring himself. But Alexandre did not know how to get rid of this unease sitting on his chest. She was giving him exactly what he wanted. Returning everything back to normal,just as it should be.
He couldn’t seem to relax and trust that this was true. Which was when he started to pick up on that which wasnotnormal. Like the fact that table was only set for two—right next to each other.
“Where are Evelyne and Gabriel?”
Ines studied him for a moment before answering. “They are eating in their rooms this evening.”
“That is highly unusual.” He studied the table arrangement. He did not want to sitrightnext to her. They usually sat across from each other. But she was next tohisseat, and it was set for him, and…
“I asked for some privacy as we discuss what’s next.”
His gaze went from the table setting to her. “What do you mean,what’s next?”
“How things will go on now that I am pregnant.”
“Nothing will change. Everything will go back to the way it was, except we will now follow the plans we’d previously made for a child. You will scale back your old responsibilities of course, but for the most part, everything goes on as it was.”
She sighed. “Yes, I had a feeling you’d say that.” She shook her head. “This does not work for me.”
“I beg your pardon?”
She sighed. “Sit, Alexandre.”
He balked at being told what to do, but a staff member appeared with the first course, and Alexandre had no choice, he felt, but to take the seat next to Ines. To continue on as normal forhim, even if she was determined to make things difficult.
She gave his hand a little pat as the course was served, like she wasplacating him.
“I have missed the palace food,” she said, smiling as the bowl of soup was put in front of her. “Jonet has kitchen skills I do not possess, but nothing like this.”
Just normal conversation after saying theirplansdid not work for her—even though she’d been a part of making them. Or, at least, agreeing to them.
Once the staff had left them to the first course, Ines spoke again.
